1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disposable kit for use in an apparatus for processing individual rolls of 35 mm instant type transparency film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention relates to a disposable kit of the type constructed to be placed within a film processor where its contents will be used in the processing of individual rolls of 35 mm instant type transparency film and, more particularly, to such a kit which is compact, inexpensive, easy to load and requires a minimum number of steps to be performed by the operator during such loading.
Lately, there has been several disclosures relative to the amateur photographer processing his own rolls of film. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,272,178, 4,212,527, and 4,167,318 disclose film assemblages of the type which include a film cassette containing a roll of 35 mm instant type transparency film, a length of sheet material and a container of processing liquid. After the film has been exposed in a conventional 35 mm still camera, it is placed in a film processor for subsequent processing. One questionable feature of this type of system is that the number of frames which a length of film may contain is limited by space taken up within the film cassette by the sheet material, it being remembered that the external measurements of the cassette must be kept within strict limits in order to insure its use in the various 35 mm cameras on the market. Other systems, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,100 and on pages 53 and 54 of RESEARCH DISCLOSURE, dated January 1981, show processors wherein the sheet material and processing liquid do not form components of the film assemblage. Accordingly, each element is individually mounted within the processing apparatus and operatively associated with the other elements so as to enable the processing of the film. However, this type of system allows the possibility that the operator may not properly connect or orient the different elements, e.g., installing the roll of sheet material such that its gelatin coated surface faces away from the processing liquid dispenser rather than toward it. Further, after the processing operation is over, one still has a problem of what to do with the processing residue, i.e., the remaining liquid and used sheet material, which in many cases is toxic and must be handled with care.
Lately, the art has progressed to the level whereat the roll of sheet material and the processing liquid have been incorporated into a disposable film processing kit, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,955. While this type of disposable kit solves many of the problems discussed above, it still leaves room for improvement. For example, the molding of the processing liquid container as an integral part of the housing and the filling of the same with the liquid would appear to add to the cost of the kit. Further, if the processing liquid were, for some reason or another, out of spec, it would appear that the entire kit would have to be discarded, vis-a-vis a kit which could be readily opened and an individual processing liquid container located therein replaced.